<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS Mincho";
panose-1:2 2 6 9 4 2 5 8 3 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Calibri Light";
panose-1:2 15 3 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Segoe UI";
panose-1:2 11 5 2 4 2 4 2 2 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Century Schoolbook";
panose-1:2 4 6 4 5 5 5 2 3 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@MS Mincho";
panose-1:2 2 6 9 4 2 5 8 3 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
font-weight:bold;}
h2
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:18.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
font-weight:bold;}
h3
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 3 Char";
margin-top:2.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#1F4D78;
font-weight:normal;}
h4
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 4 Char";
margin-top:10.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:105%;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#5B9BD5;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic;}
p.MsoCommentText, li.MsoCommentText, div.MsoCommentText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Header Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Footer Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoTitle, li.MsoTitle, div.MsoTitle
{mso-style-priority:10;
mso-style-link:"Title Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
font-size:28.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
letter-spacing:-.5pt;}
p.MsoTitleCxSpFirst, li.MsoTitleCxSpFirst, div.MsoTitleCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:10;
mso-style-link:"Title Char";
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
font-size:28.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
letter-spacing:-.5pt;}
p.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle, li.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle, div.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:10;
mso-style-link:"Title Char";
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
font-size:28.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
letter-spacing:-.5pt;}
p.MsoTitleCxSpLast, li.MsoTitleCxSpLast, div.MsoTitleCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:10;
mso-style-link:"Title Char";
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
font-size:28.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
letter-spacing:-.5pt;}
p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-link:"Body Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-autospace:none;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.MsoSubtitle, li.MsoSubtitle, div.MsoSubtitle
{mso-style-priority:11;
mso-style-link:"Subtitle Char";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#5A5A5A;
letter-spacing:.75pt;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoCommentSubject, li.MsoCommentSubject, div.MsoCommentSubject
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Subject Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
font-weight:bold;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;}
span.MsoPlaceholderText
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#666666;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoRMPane, li.MsoRMPane, div.MsoRMPane
{mso-style-priority:99;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:105%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:105%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:105%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:105%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
font-weight:bold;}
span.Heading2Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2";
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
font-weight:bold;}
span.Heading3Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 3 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 3";
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#1F4D78;}
span.Heading4Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 4 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 4";
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#5B9BD5;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-style-priority:99;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:.2in;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
span.CommentTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Comment Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Text";
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.HeaderChar
{mso-style-name:"Header Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:Header;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.FooterChar
{mso-style-name:"Footer Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:Footer;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.TitleChar
{mso-style-name:"Title Char";
mso-style-priority:10;
mso-style-link:Title;
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
letter-spacing:-.5pt;}
span.BodyTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Body Text Char";
mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-link:"Body Text";}
span.SubtitleChar
{mso-style-name:"Subtitle Char";
mso-style-priority:11;
mso-style-link:Subtitle;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#5A5A5A;
letter-spacing:.75pt;}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.CommentSubjectChar
{mso-style-name:"Comment Subject Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Subject";
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
font-weight:bold;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;}
p.paragraph, li.paragraph, div.paragraph
{mso-style-name:paragraph;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.m7144204702806410842msolistparagraph, li.m7144204702806410842msolistparagraph, div.m7144204702806410842msolistparagraph
{mso-style-name:m_7144204702806410842msolistparagraph;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.Default, li.Default, div.Default
{mso-style-name:Default;
mso-style-priority:99;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-autospace:none;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif;
color:black;}
p.wpds-c-cydrxm, li.wpds-c-cydrxm, div.wpds-c-cydrxm
{mso-style-name:wpds-c-cydrxm;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.ydpe1f89061msonormal, li.ydpe1f89061msonormal, div.ydpe1f89061msonormal
{mso-style-name:ydpe1f89061msonormal;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle49
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.normaltextrun
{mso-style-name:normaltextrun;}
span.eop
{mso-style-name:eop;}
span.EmailStyle52
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle53
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle54
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.UnresolvedMention1
{mso-style-name:"Unresolved Mention1";
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#605E5C;
background:#E1DFDD;}
span.EmailStyle56
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle57
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.markedcontent
{mso-style-name:markedcontent;}
span.highlight
{mso-style-name:highlight;}
span.il
{mso-style-name:il;}
span.EmailStyle61
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle62
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.UnresolvedMention2
{mso-style-name:"Unresolved Mention2";
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#605E5C;
background:#E1DFDD;}
span.EmailStyle64
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle65
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle66
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.authorortitle
{mso-style-name:authorortitle;}
span.EmailStyle69
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:315376569;
mso-list-template-ids:-1656817036;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:1084063651;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-663313714 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1382288267;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-10986636 -1901572642 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-start-at:9;
mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:-;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;}
@list l2:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0a7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1386098171;
mso-list-template-ids:1430310260;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\uf0b7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:2051805667;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:494306916 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l4:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l4:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l4:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><a name="_Hlk137899072"><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Braille Spectator, Summer 2025</span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1><h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:15.5pt'>THE BRAILLE SPECTATOR, Summer 2025<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>A semi-annual publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Ronza Othman and Sharon Maneki, co-editors</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Published on</span></b></span><a href="https://nfbmd.org/"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'> www.nfbmd.org</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'> and on NFB Newsline by The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Ronza Othman, President</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Comments and questions should be sent to </span></b></span><a href="mailto:president@nfbmd.org"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>president@nfbmd.org</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>.</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#3B3B3B'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%'>In this issue:<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></h2><ol style='margin-top:0in' start=1 type=1><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Hlk5906807"></a><a name="_Hlk5908032"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></a></span><a href="#LeadLoveLive"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Lead, Love, Live!</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#Annapolis2025Season"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Annapolis 2025 Season</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#DOGEVeterans"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Opinion: Trump\u2019s DOGE Cuts Hurt the Veterans He Promised to Help</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#JohnBerggren"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Coffee with an NFB Staff Member: John Berggren</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#ChapterSpotlight"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Chapter Spotlight: Western Maryland Chapter</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#Tech"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Making Tech Accessible \u2013 With Benefits for All</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#RachelOlivero"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>2025 Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#HeatherGuy"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Heather Guy: Substantial Growth, Tremendous Leader!</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#Awards"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>2025 Convention Awards</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#MaryEllen"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Musings of Mary Ellen Thompson About Kenneth Jernigan</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#MillieRivera"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Student Spotlight: Millie Rivera</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#Resolutions"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>2025 NFB Resolutions</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo4'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span><a href="#Specs"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Spectator Specs</span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span></span></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></li></ol><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><a name="_Focus_Forward!"></a><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><a name="_Expect_Much,_Give"></a><a name=LeadLoveLive></a>Lead, Love, Live!</span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5908032'></span><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'>By Ronza Othman<br><br><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Ronza Othman serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD). Below is the presidential report she gave at the NFBMD convention on February 15, 2025.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>When I was two years old, my mother took me with her to my sister\u2019s parent-teacher conferences. My sister, Abbey, was a third grader, and her teacher was Miss Laybin. My family had come to the United States as refugees just a few years before, and we were all primarily non-English speakers, including me. Now, I was a curious child, and I found myself, for the first time ever, in a richly colored and textured room with furniture that was closer to my size than anything I\u2019d ever encountered. And the toys, oh the sheer number of toys, was mind-boggling for a very sheltered two-year-old. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I was a blind child, though my family didn\u2019t quite know what that meant yet, and though I was a highly verbal toddler, I wasn\u2019t a reliable source on the difference between how I experienced the world and how most other children did. But like most blind toddlers, I explored with my fingertips. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>As I explored Miss Laybin\u2019s classroom, I trailed my fingers along the artwork hanging on the wall that the students had made. My mother paused in her conversation with Miss Laybin and, aiming her comment to me, said, \u201cSibeesh.\u201d I lifted and closed the lids of desks to see how they worked. My mom repeated, \u201cSibeesh.\u201d I scrambled into and out of cozy reading chairs, and I petted and cuddled stuffed animals and dolls. My mom repeated what was becoming a mantra: \u201cSibeesh.\u201d I rubbed chalk between my fingers, and I trailed my fingers along the spines of books. \u201cSibeesh,\u201d said my mom. I reached out with my hands to explore a world around me that I\u2019d never known existed. I remember the joy of new discovery, interesting textures, and as I brought things closer to my face, the interesting scents. I heard, with each delightful new exploration, \u201cSibeesh.\u201d Where better for a child to explore than a classroom?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>As my mother concluded Abbey\u2019s parent-teacher conference, she apologized in her halting English to Miss Laybin for me. In response, Miss Laybin kneeled down to me, extended her hand, and said, \u201cHi, Sibeesh; it\u2019s nice to meet you.\u201d She then took me by the hand and showed me some of the toys I hadn\u2019t found yet, placing them in my hands and explaining what they were and what they did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>And that is how I got a really unfortunate nickname that some of my family, to my dismay, still use today: Sibeesh. \u201cSibeesh\u201d is a shortened version of the Arabic word \u201citsibeesh,\u201d which literally translates to \u201cdon\u2019t touch.\u201d <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>My mother loves me, and I contend that I am her favorite child of the seven of us. My siblings will confirm this contention, except for when one of us is in the process of growing a grandchild for her or earning another degree. But her telling me, \u201cDon\u2019t touch\u201d and apologizing for my touch-tour of the classroom as I nonvisually explored the world around me, though done to preserve my dignity by giving me instructions to keep me safe and more in line with visual explorers of my age, felt like a diminishment of my dignity, even at age two. Miss Laybin\u2019s effort to get down on my level, literally, and shepherd me through exploration in a tactile way demonstrated true allyship in a way that preserved and protected my dignity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A few years ago, my siblings and I attended a Chicago Bulls game together. As we were walking down the stairs of the stands after the game, I tapped the back of the leg of the person walking in front of me with my long white cane. The person apparently made a startled noise and glared at me. My sister, Rae, apologized for me, which catapulted me into orbit. Here I was, using my mobility device to safely navigate a public space where I had a right to be and where I\u2019d paid handsomely for the privilege, and because my cane did what it was literally designed to do \u2013 touch something in my path \u2013 my sister was apologizing for me. I didn\u2019t feel like I\u2019d been stripped of my dignity by the sighted stranger apparently living under a rock who had never encountered a person with a long white cane before. I felt stripped of my dignity because my sister, who was supposed to be one of my greatest allies, apologized for what felt, in the moment, like my existence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I\u2019ll leave it to your imagination as to how I handled that situation, but let\u2019s just say that the entire Chicago Bulls organization and probably everyone in Chicago within five miles of the United Center knows a lot more about blindness and the long white cane than they did before that game, and my sister definitely won\u2019t be repeating that mistake again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>How many times have we encountered a situation where we felt pressured to conform to society\u2019s expectations about \u201ctraditional\u201d or \u201ctypical\u201d ways of engaging with our world? How many times have we submitted to receiving airport assistance by being pushed in a wheelchair even though our feet work just fine simply because it was easier? How many times have we said nothing to avoid drama when a well-meaning stranger, without asking first, moved us, pulled us, or tried to otherwise take us where they thought we should be going? How many times have we said nothing when a server, doctor, insert any service professional, talked to our sighted companion about us instead of directly to us? How many times have we apologized for inconveniencing someone who was helping us or said nothing when someone else apologized for our blindness or for a nonvisual technique we use? How many times have we let \u201cthem,\u201d that nebulous \u201cthem,\u201d but we know who they are, decide for us what we need, where we want to go, or how to best get there, and how many times have we felt we should apologize for taking up space in the world?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>It isn\u2019t okay for us to be made to feel like we need to apologize for our blindness or for engaging with the world through nonvisual techniques. And it is also not okay when our sighted friends and family apologize for us for doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Let\u2019s face it: it\u2019s exhausting having to educate people about our capacity as blind people all the time. Sometimes it\u2019s easier to \u201clet it go, Elsa.\u201d And sometimes, it\u2019s the right way to handle those situations for our mental health, safety, or other reasons. But when we refuse to take the wheelchair and make it a teachable moment, when we politely but firmly refuse to be handled like luggage by a well-meaning sighted person who thinks they know where we want to be put, when we and our allies remind the person providing customer service that we are in control of our menu choices or medical history, we are demonstrating leadership: leadership for the blind community, and leadership for the disabled in general.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Anil Lewis likes to say that what sets the National Federation of the Blind apart is that when we identify a problem, a challenge, or an opportunity, we do something about it. He says that \u201cwe get stuff done.\u201d Okay, in some environments, he replaces the word \u201cstuff\u201d with another word that starts with \u201cs.\u201d Those of us who are among Anil\u2019s friends have taken to reducing this phrase \u2013 \u201cget stuff done\u201d \u2013 to the acronym \u201cGSD.\u201d And Anil is right: in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Whether it is having a conversation with an airport assistant about navigating the airport with visual assistance rather than being \u201ctaken\u201d in a wheelchair many of us don\u2019t need, asserting ourselves as the person from whom the waiter or doctor should get information, or refusing to be moved, pulled, or relocated like a passive package, we are getting stuff done for ourselves, our community, and those who come after us. And the core of leadership is, in fact, getting stuff done. This type of leadership preserves our dignity as blind people, and as humans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Our work in the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland is grounded in the belief that not only do we have a right to occupy the spaces we choose, but that those are the same spaces that the sighted occupy. The cornerstone of our philosophy is the belief that we have high expectations for blind and low vision Marylanders, even when society\u2019s expectations are low. These high expectations require an investment of our time, dedication, and talent. And thus, we in the NFBMD give much in terms of time, dedication, and talent, both to reach those high expectations we set for ourselves and to raise the bar on what society should expect from us. And like any good investment, we get a great return on our investment in the countless victories for us individually and for all of us collectively as a movement. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;background:white'>Bernice King, lawyer and daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said, "You will encounter misguided people from time to time. That's part of life. The challenge is to educate them when you can, but always to keep your dignity and self-respect and persevere in your personal growth and development." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>As we begin our 59<sup>th</sup> year as an organization, we can reflect with pride on all we\u2019ve accomplished and look to the future with hope and determination at all we plan to accomplish. Our work and accomplishments reflect our resilience; our high expectations for ourselves and others in the blindness space; the effort, resources, and talent we put in; and the outcomes that our work cultivates. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The theme of this year\u2019s convention is \u201cLead, Love, Live.\u201d The first part of that theme, \u201clead,\u201d refers to the thousands of ways we GSD \u2013 big and small. It is the way we harness collective action to get legislation introduced and passed. It is the way we advocate for students in IEP meetings. It is the way we bust misconceptions about blindness by unapologetically using the alternative techniques of blindness in the sighted world. Every single person in this room is a leader, whether you know it or not. You don\u2019t have to be elected or appointed to be a leader. You are a leader because you are doing the hard and sometimes frustrating work of educating \u2013 in words but in actions, too \u2013 that the blind have dignity. You are leading through love in many of your interactions with friends, family, and even strangers, to show them your authentic self and the capabilities of blind people. You are living authentically because of the leadership you demonstrate, and the love you convey through that leadership. We continue to lead authentically, love deeply, and live fully \u2013 all cornerstones of our philosophy, and all ways we preserve, protect, and enhance our dignity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>And yet, our work remains as vital as ever, because this battle for claiming our space in the world, for demanding equal access to information, for the right to quality special education, for meaningful and gainful employment \u2013 this battle resets every day. And though fighting that battle is often exhausting, and sometimes we don\u2019t have the spoons for it, it matters, and we often win. Every time we GSD in NFB, we\u2019ve made progress for us as a whole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I\u2019ll share some examples with you of the battles we\u2019ve undertaken in the last year in the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland to illustrate what I mean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Julie Hild is an elementary school teacher\u2019s aide at a private school in Howard County. She has been blind for most of her life, and she\u2019s been teaching and providing teaching support for nearly three decades. During the last school year, she was assigned to support a new teacher who had basement-level expectations for the blind. This teacher complained to the school that having Julie as her aide meant that the kids\u2019 safety was being jeopardized. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>There were no \u201ctriggering\u201d incidents other than Julie stumbling briefly over some uneven grass and quickly righting herself when the kids were at recess. And yet, the school, without any conversations with Julie, put her on administrative leave and demanded she obtain medical documentation stating that she could safely and effectively care for children. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Julie contacted the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) and the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, and together, we went to war on Julie\u2019s behalf. As Julie\u2019s advocates, we were able to educate the school leadership about how disgustingly discriminatory their actions were, and the myriad of ways they violated Julie\u2019s rights. We also helped them understand how a blind person safely supervises children and keeps them safe through nonvisual methods.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Through our advocacy and the support of a very proactive and tenacious DORS counselor, Julie Hild was reinstated to her job, the lead teacher was trained and educated, and Julie\u2019s dignity was restored. We\u2019ve been asked to conduct staff-wide training for this school, and they are now referring other schools to us for technical assistance and training. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A few months ago, we were contacted by the parent of a blind middle schooler for assistance with the child\u2019s IEP. I\u2019ll call this child Jessica. Jessica has multiple disabilities that have resulted in her reading four grades below her age, but she is working hard to catch up. She is a bright child who will catch up with time and a strong teaching approach. Jessica was bullied quite severely in school, which led to some mental health challenges and treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The school held Jessica\u2019s annual IEP meeting as a hybrid meeting, with some participants attending in person and some attending virtually. Jessica and her homeroom teacher attended the initial part of the meeting in person, and then they were excused to go to their class. When Jessica\u2019s homeroom teacher returned to his classroom, which was full of students, he decided to log back into the IEP meeting virtually. However, he did not use headphones, and the kids in Jessica\u2019s homeroom class heard the IEP meeting. The IEP team proceeded to discuss Jessica\u2019s IEP, including her mental health history and treatment. Jessica\u2019s entire homeroom learned about this when her teacher didn\u2019t safeguard her privacy. And the worst part: some of the very students who caused those mental health challenges through their bullying were the students in the room hearing about how Jessica struggles and is coping. Another teacher walked into Jessica\u2019s homeroom classroom, noticed the teacher and the entire class listening to the IEP meeting, and reported this to the school. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The students from Jessica\u2019s homeroom class, emboldened, proceeded to level up their bullying of Jessica, including playing keep-away with her long white cane, inviting her to engage in self-harm with it, and threatening to break it. They engaged in this behavior openly and in front of teachers, who also reported the behavior to the school administration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jessica, understandably, was mortified and refused to return to school. She also refused to continue to use her long white cane. When her parents reported the incidents to the school administration, they were given vague assurances about \u201clooking into it.\u201d The parents conducted their own inquiry and received confirmation from adults who witnessed both the homeroom teacher\u2019s attending the IEP without headphones and students bullying Jessica with her cane.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>When Melissa Riccobono and I got involved, neither of us could believe the egregiousness of these incidents and the lack of accountability on the school\u2019s part. What Jessica experienced by this teacher and those students stripped her of her dignity such that she was physically and psychologically unsafe. In working with the family, it became apparent that the only solution was to transfer Jessica to another school, and ideally one where she would be nurtured as a blind student rather than humiliated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jessica\u2019s family chose the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) because they felt that Jessica would benefit from the academic supports that would help get her to grade level for reading. They also felt that MSB is uniquely able to, through its support services, address Jessica\u2019s trauma as a blind child who was decimated by the special education system itself. Finally, they felt Jessica needed to be immersed in a community of other blind kids so she can see for herself that not only is it respectable to be blind, but that the bullies she encountered are the exception instead of the rule.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We mobilized and called an IEP. The school attempted to delay and convince the parents that the IEP was not necessary. We persisted and threatened to file a complaint because the school was refusing to meet. They believed us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In the meeting, they tried to tell us that they could not corroborate Jessica\u2019s allegations that the teacher had the IEP on speaker or that the kids bullied Jessica after the IEP. We let them have it, confronting them with the evidence from our own investigation. We also brought strong rationales for why Jessica\u2019s experiences warranted an immediate transfer to MSB. Though they initially resisted the transfer, they quickly backpedaled, and from that point forward, they were so supportive of Jessica going to MSB that you\u2019d have thought it was their idea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The typical time period to get a student into MSB is six to nine months. We were able to get Jessica approved and enrolled in less than two months. We are deeply grateful for our partners in this effort, MSB superintendent Rob Hair and Director of Outreach Diane Coleburn. We are also working to train the staff and students of the school, and we are deeply supportive of MSB\u2019s work to do so as well. The family is exploring additional action to hold the previous school accountable for its actions and inactions when it comes to Jessica. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>But because of the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, Jessica can go to a school where she is physically and psychologically safe, and where she can learn nonvisual skills and be with classmates who will support her as she grows and heals. Most importantly, because of the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, Jessica\u2019s dignity has been restored. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Aclesia Techone is a student at Boston University. Aclesia, like many blind students, struggled during her transition from high school to college. She found herself overwhelmed and unsure about how to get unstuck, and she also struggled with getting textbooks and reasonable accommodations on time. Aclesia reported that she was intimidated by having to cross several busy streets to get from her dorm to the cafeteria, so sometimes she just didn\u2019t eat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Aclesia contacted the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland because she knew that she couldn\u2019t solve her challenges on her own. When she was a teenager, she had participated in the Maryland mentoring program, and so she knew that other blind students had been able to find steady footing after an initial shaky college transition. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We worked with Aclesia to ensure that her reasonable accommodations were implemented and that the college had systems in place to prevent a recurrence of lack of accommodations. We met regularly with Aclesia\u2019s dean and the Disability Support Services (DSS) office to explore majors, career options, and other resources as Aclesia made decisions about her academic path. We worked with her rehabilitation counselor to get her campus-based orientation and mobility training, updated technology, and other resources she needed to be successful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Aclesia struggled during her transition to college for a myriad of reasons, but two of them are quite typical for blind students. First, she was a high achiever in high school, and she was very bright, earning very good grades. However, since she did so well academically, she was not given meaningful nonvisual skills training such as orientation and mobility (O&M) or technology training. Second, she lived a very sheltered life with a family who expressed their love by shielding her from having to be her own advocate or having to independently navigate the world. In essence, she was not equipped for adulting, and when she was home, she was actively dissuaded \u2013 in the gentlest, most loving way possible \u2013 from stretching her skills or expectations for herself in terms of blindness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In talking with DORS, Office for Blindness & Vision Services (OBVS) Director Toni March said, \u201cShe really needs to go to the Louisiana Center for the Blind.\u201d The thought behind this was that Aclesia needed adjustment to blindness training, and in order for it to be effective, she needed to be away from the loving, but nonetheless unhelpful, attitudes of her family. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Aclesia attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind and graduated in October 2024. After that, she held an internship in New York City, where she navigated busy streets and the complicated New York subway system on her own. She is now back at Boston University, and she is thriving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We were honored to be part of Aclesia\u2019s journey and help her restore her faith in herself. She always had dignity, but she didn\u2019t know she did until she understood that only she could direct the path to her future. And when she called, we answered. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In the last year, the Maryland affiliate has welcomed roughly 60 new members to the Federation. Every single chapter and division welcomed at least one new person. What the new members found was a community of blind individuals who treated one another with dignity and respect, and who inherently believed in the capacity of blind people. What they found was an organization comprised of members who never apologize for taking up space; instead, our community celebrates the unique and shared lived experiences of our members. It is a community that sometimes feels and can relate to the same advocacy fatigue as the rest of us. It is a community that stands behind us when we need to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It is a community that stands beside us with locked arms in collective action, and it is a community that, when necessary, will stand in front of us to shield us from the unfairness and indignities that we sometimes encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Once again, we come together on Presidents\u2019 Weekend, and we do and should honor our past and present NFB presidents, whether national, affiliate, chapter, or division. Nonetheless, in Maryland, leaders are plentiful regardless of whether they have a formal leadership title. The work we do and the accomplishments we achieve aren\u2019t because of a single affiliate president or a handful of chapter presidents: we are a powerhouse organization because of the hundreds of leaders serving in various roles. I\u2019ll share some examples of how the individuals in this organization have led in ways that have effected tremendous change and progress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Last year, we continued Maryland\u2019s rich tradition of hosting robust, effective, and fun NFB Braille Enrichment in Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academies. We hosted three programs \u2013 one each in Baltimore, Southern Maryland, and through a partnership with Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Twenty-eight students participated in the three programs. Many of those students are here this weekend, and you\u2019ll hear from them tomorrow. The NFB BELL Academy is the most important program we operate, because it cultivates the skills and positive attitudes about blindness that our kids need at such an early age. It raises expectations for those students in their own hearts and minds, it pushes their families to raise their expectations, and it supplements and fills the gap that low expectations create when our school system fails to effectively teach blind and low vision Marylanders the blindness skills they will need to succeed as adults. What the NFB BELL Academy does brilliantly is demonstrate to our children at an early age, through skills development and exposure to a positive philosophy on blindness, that blind people possess no less dignity than the sighted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Nearly twenty years ago, when a group of innovators here in Maryland came together to brainstorm how to solve the persistent problem of inadequate educational resources and systemic low expectations for blind children, those innovators coined the phrase, \u201cIf they won\u2019t teach them, we\u2019ll teach them ourselves.\u201d And that is a tangible example of how our members decided the time had come to lead. In 2025, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will once again host NFB BELL Academies in Baltimore, Southern Maryland, and here on the Eastern Shore. But I\u2019m also thrilled to announce that we\u2019ll be bringing back our NFB BELL Academy to serve children in the Sligo Creek and Prince George\u2019s County areas with the addition of NFB BELL Rockville, our fourth NFB of Maryland BELL Academy. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Our commitment to quality and equitable education for blind students continued in 2024 when we held our annual STEM2U Academy. Perhaps one of the most invasive areas where society holds low expectations for the blind and impinges on our dignity is in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). STEM2U provides an opportunity for blind students to experience STEM nonvisually so that we can dispel myths about how hard it is for a blind person to do STEM, or why it can\u2019t be done at all. This is yet another instance where we, in the organized blind movement, demonstrate leadership: we proactively teach our children STEM, and we teach their parents too, with the goal of raising expectations about blindness and STEM. We are incredibly grateful to Erin Zobell for leading NFB of Maryland STEM2U for us in 2024 and agreeing to hold another STEM2U Academy in 2025. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In the last year, we completed our legislative advocacy with the Maryland General Assembly for the 2024 session and are about halfway through the 2025 session. In 2024, we worked on four major legislative initiatives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>First, we worked hard to close some loopholes in a previous textbook law, such that our 2024 bill ensured that blind students received their textbooks in an alternative format on time. The bill removed the disincentive for local education agencies to produce books in alternative formats because it removed the burden for funding the production of these textbooks off the first district who had to do it and put that burden on the state. In addition, it established requirements for notification to parents when a textbook was going to be late and the development of a plan to ensure the student received the materials in their learning medium on time while the textbooks were being produced.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Many of you know Naudia Graham, our Student Division Vice President. Naudia was a senior in high school last year, enrolled in a class on statistics. Naudia did not receive her textbook in an alternate accessible format until just a couple of weeks before she was scheduled to graduate. Had this bill been law when Naudia was enrolled in her statistics class, Naudia wouldn\u2019t have experienced the indignity of not having necessary learning materials. So, because we\u2019re the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, we harnessed our energy for collective action, and in April 2024, the Maryland General Assembly passed this law so that Naudia and anyone after her won\u2019t have this same problem again. The Governor signed the bill into law just a couple of days before Naudia\u2019s graduation from high school, and the law went into effect on October 1, 2024. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A second legislative priority involved advocating for legislation to enable the use of bus monitoring systems. The bottom line is that sighted drivers don\u2019t believe we deserve dignity when they stop or park their vehicles at a bus stop or at a curb cut. By doing so, they\u2019ve decided that whatever their self-interests are in doing so, they\u2019re more important than the blind\u2019s need to board and debark a bus safely, or the right bus, or on time, or to cross a street safely, or even at all for those of us using mobility aids. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We fought vehemently to get a law passed that would prohibit and penalize parking and standing in dedicated bus lanes or blocking curb cuts, but the legislature only enacted part of the bill. The leadership in the Maryland General Assembly committed to solving the problem, and there is such a bill moving its way through the 2025 legislative session. In addition, last year\u2019s bill established a workgroup to make enhancement recommendations and corrections to the bill, and at the request of the General Assembly, Governor Moore has advised me that I am being appointed to this commission to represent the NFB of Maryland. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We also worked on paperless ballot return for absentee voting, and though we didn\u2019t get our bill passed in 2024, things look promising for working out a solution in the 2025 legislative session. We are currently advocating for a bill that will create a commission whose job will be to look at all the factors necessary for accessible absentee ballot return, including accessibility, security, and privacy, and come up with solutions that will protect and ensure all three. This commission will include not only politicians but advocates, including a representative from NFBMD, along with experts in security, accessibility, and so on. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, Maryland\u2019s blind and otherwise print disabled voters will have their dignity recognized and restored when we overcome Maryland\u2019s discriminatory practices for return of absentee ballots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In 2025, we are also advocating for dignity in independent movement through the use of autonomous vehicles. The legislation currently making its way through the Maryland General Assembly will ensure that as category 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles come to Maryland, they will be accessible to the blind and there will be no requirements that operators have a driver\u2019s license. The technology is here, and we are entitled to use it like every other member of society. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We continue to advocate for funding the Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Access, which ensures that there is a high-quality mechanism to educate, train, and lead in the area of accessibility. I\u2019m pleased to share that this funding was maintained in the Governor\u2019s fiscal year 2026 budget submission, and we have been assured by both legislative houses that they intend to protect it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>But this is just a tiny snapshot of our legislative work in Maryland. In 2024, we testified orally, in writing, or both, on over 150 bills. Thus far in 2025, we\u2019ve testified on over 100 bills. Part of our work is to advocate for enactment of good bills that will preserve the dignity of the blind and disabled. But often, our task is to use our collective might to kill a bill that would strip us of our dignity as blind people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Last year, we wielded our collective might to defeat a bill that would have been the opposite of our 2025 autonomous vehicle (AV) bill. This bad bill would have prohibited the use of AVs on any Maryland highway, and it would have required an operator to possess a valid driver\u2019s license. Had this bill passed, we would have never been able to use a service like Waymo on city streets, even if others could. Regardless of whether you are excited about AV technology or if you aren\u2019t quite ready to try it yourself, creating a system where a non-disabled person could ride in an AV, but a blind person could not is the definition of discrimination, rooted in the lack of dignity afforded to us. I\u2019m pleased to say that not only did we succeed in killing this bill in 2024, but a similar bill that only covered trucks has also died in the current legislative session. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>You may recall that a few years ago, we worked to get an accessible prescription label bill passed in Maryland. Late in 2024, the Maryland Board of Pharmacy approved a proposed regulation to implement this law, and that proposed regulation is working its way through the rule-making process. The law indicates that any blind patient should be able to go to any pharmacy in Maryland and get their prescriptions at the same time as anyone else, and those prescriptions would include label and bag tag information in the patient\u2019s preferred alternate format. The Board of Pharmacy is a few months behind in finalizing this regulation, but in the next few months, the regulation should be finalized and implemented. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Nonetheless, when we experienced egregious discrimination by James Pharmacy last year, the accessible prescription label regulations were not yet effective. James Pharmacy is a non-franchise pharmacy located in Baltimore city near the National Federation of the Blind headquarters. It also has a mail program and ships medication to patients throughout the state. For many years, patients could receive accessible label and bag tag information from James Pharmacy, and we had a relationship based on mutual respect grounded in belief in our dignity as blind people and the need for us to independently dispense our medication. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>James Pharmacy transferred ownership in the summer of 2024, and shortly thereafter, the new owners notified patients that James Pharmacy would charge patients $3 per prescription for an accessible label. They gave less than 48 hours\u2019 notice to the patients they contacted, but apparently never contacted most patients at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Now, it is illegal to charge for making things accessible, as indicated in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but James Pharmacy said that these labels were too expensive for them to provide any longer. The National Federation of the Blind attempted to contact James Pharmacy many times in multiple ways and was ignored. But because we get stuff done, we didn\u2019t stop there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We filed a civil rights complaint on behalf of the members of NFBMD with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That complaint was being investigated as of January 2025, but we also took advantage of the new disability protections under the purview of the Maryland Attorney General and made reports to the AG. In response, James Pharmacy notified its patients late in 2024 that it would suspend the pass-through charge for accessible prescription labels. Because in NFB, we GSD!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Adjustment to blindness training is one of the most effective ways for an individual to preserve their own dignity, cultivate their own independence, and lay a solid foundation for a future where blindness is reduced to a mere nuisance. This is one way for individuals to foster the skills and attitude they will need to live the lives they want. Those who attend adjustment to blindness training are exposed to very high expectations. They give a great deal of time and energy to learning the alternative techniques of blindness, and they leave having gained tremendous independence, confidence, and high expectations for others who are blind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In addition, numerous individuals have attended the Comprehensive Orientation Rehabilitation and Empowerment (CORE) and Seniors Achieving Independent Living (SAIL) programs at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), Maryland\u2019s local adjustment to blindness training center. BISM has augmented its highly talented CORE and SAIL staff by hiring a number of energetic and strong instructors in the last year. BISM continues, under the able leadership of Dr. Michael Gosse, to pursue certification from the National Professional Blindness Certification Board, which will ensure that it employs the structured discovery model for decades to come. We value our partnership with BISM, and we\u2019re thrilled that so many leaders in the Federation are among the staff of BISM, many of whom are themselves graduates from NFB adjustment to blindness training centers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Dignity is tied up in identity and self-worth. Leadership involves recognizing one\u2019s inherent dignity, helping people recognize it in themselves, or helping lift the veil so others can recognize it. In the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, the love that binds us together nourishes that dignity. Through the recognition of this dignity, the love we share, and the leadership we each exhibit as we engage with one another and our world, we carve the path to live our best lives, to live the lives we want.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In his 2024 banquet speech entitled \u201cDignity, Respect, and Determination: The Momentum of the Blind People\u2019s Movement,\u201d President Riccobono stated:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>We deserve a world where every heart and mind know our understanding of dignity for the blind. The only way we can get to that future is together through the courage, determination, and creativity of a shared movement. This is the commitment to defend our dignity. This is the commitment we make to each other. This is the love, hope, and determination felt in our movement. This is the bond of faith that fuels our hope for our tomorrows. Let us go together to find those blind people who have not yet discovered the power of their dignity. Let us show that we belong in the world and that we make it better. Let us never again allow our dignity to be devalued. Let us go build the National Federation of the Blind.</span></i></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906807'></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Hlk5906926"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></a></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906926'><a name="_The_Eleventh_Hour"></a><a name="_Mixed_Results_in"></a><a name=Annapolis2025Season></a>Annapolis 2025 Season</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906926'><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk5906926'></span><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>By Sharon Maneki<br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Sharon Maneki serves as NFBMD\u2019s Director of Legislation and Advocacy. One function of this role is co-chairing our State Legislative Advocacy Committee. Below is a round-up of our 2025 legislative efforts.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Annapolis season was a busy time in which we planted seeds, had challenging experiences, and had successful bills which became law. Here is a report on the priorities of NFBMD. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Planting seeds is sometimes necessary in the legislative process. Our autonomous vehicle bills were well received, but legislators needed more time to get used to the idea of autonomous vehicles on the highways of Maryland. We hope to give legislators the opportunity to ride in an autonomous vehicle over the interim months so that they will be ready to get our bills over the finish line next year. We were part of a coalition that included the autonomous vehicle industry, and we are optimistic that there will be a future law on autonomous vehicles in Maryland. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>For several decades, we have been fighting for the right to a secret ballot and a private vote. The latest battle has been over our need for an electronic ballot return system for mail-in absentee ballots. For the first time, the Senate passed our bill, SB 929, sponsored by Senator Benjamin Brooks, to examine the problem of electronic returns of mail-in or absentee ballots for people with disabilities. This bill would have created a working group for stakeholders to examine the accessibility and other challenges of giving disabled voters an electronic ballot return system. We are very thankful to the Senate for its action. Unfortunately, this subject went nowhere in the House of Delegates, and the bill was never voted on. The challenge continues. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We realized the fruits of our labor with the passage and signing by Governor Moore of other successful bills. SB 85 and HB 455 require Maryland cemeteries for veterans to have a Braille flag displayed in a prominent place in the cemetery, and to have Braille flags available for the burial services of veterans. Many thanks to Senators Bryan Simonaire and Michael Jackson for sponsoring the Braille Flag Bill in the Senate, and to Anne Kaiser in the House. We also want to thank the following House co-sponsors of HB 455: Alston, Attar, Cardin, Charkoudian, Fennell, Foley, Kaufman, McComas, Palakovich Carr, Simmons, Spiegel, Taylor, Valderrama, Williams, Wims, Woorman, Bagnall, Bhandari, Chisholm, Cullison, Guzzone, Hill, Hutchinson, S. Johnson, Kerr, Kipke, Lopez, Martinez, M. Morgan, Pena-Melnyk, Reilly, Rosenberg, Szeliga, Taveras, White Holland, and Woods. We also want to thank two of our members who are blind veterans, Harvey Guary and Will Hendricks, who gave excellent testimony on the importance of a Braille flag in Maryland veterans\u2019 cemeteries. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>HB 910 and SB 911 raised the annual property tax exemption for blind homeowners from $15,000 to $40,000. Many thanks to Senator Dalya Attar for sponsoring the bill and to Senator Nancy King, who did much of the research for this topic. The following senators co-sponsored this bill, which we appreciate very much: Muse, Bailey, Benson, Corderman, Guzzone, Hettleman, M. Jackson, Jennings, Lewis Young, McCray, Rosapepe, Salling, and Zucker. Many thanks to Sarah Wolek for sponsoring the Property Tax Bill and to the following delegates who co-sponsored this bill: Boyce, Charkoudian, Hartman, Shetty, Solomon, Taveras, and Wilkins. The testimonies for HB 910 and SB 911 appear elsewhere in this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We look forward to working with the Maryland General Assembly on autonomous vehicles and electronic ballot returns for people with disabilities in the coming years. You can be sure that the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will persist in promoting equal rights and equal opportunities for blind people in Maryland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'> <br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Good_News_about"></a><a name="_For_the_Disabled"></a><a name=DOGEVeterans></a>Opinion: Trump\u2019s DOGE Cuts Hurt the Veterans He Promised to Help<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>By Marc Fisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:19.2pt;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Published by <i>The Washington Post</i> on May 7, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:19.2pt;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Available at: </span></span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/07/doge-musk-trump-social-security/"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/07/doge-musk-trump-social-security/</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Ed Jackson is a long-time member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the NFB of Maryland and serves as the Chair of the NFBMD Blind Veterans Committee. After losing his vision, Ed worked at the Social Security Administration (SSA), following a myriad of other jobs in the public and private sectors and his retirement from the Army. Ed was forced into retirement from SSA by the personnel cuts effectuated by the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) in the Spring of 2025. Below is an article about Ed\u2019s life and work that was published in <i>The Washington Post</i> on May 7, 2025. We are publishing this article because of the profile on Ed. The political opinions shared in the article are the author\u2019s and are not attributable to NFBMD.]<br><br><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Trump logic: \u2018We want to help vets.\u2019 \u2018I help vets.\u2019 \u2018You\u2019re fired.\u2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>You can cancel their programs, cut off their pay, but you can\u2019t sideline them. They are federal employees.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Edwin Jackson\u2019s government work was finding jobs for military veterans and then making sure those vets succeeded. Like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Representing the Social Security Administration at a job fair in Maryland, Jackson meets a paralegal and steers her toward a position at his agency. Then she asks, \u201cCan you help my husband, who\u2019s active-duty military?\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Sure, Jackson says. The woman brings over her husband, whose body language reads, \u201cThis is pointless.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cI can\u2019t work for Social Security,\u201d the man says. \u201cYou can\u2019t give me work in my field.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cWhat\u2019s your field?\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cI\u2019m a sniper.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jackson replies immediately: \u201cOkay, I got a job for you.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cYou didn\u2019t hear me; I\u2019m a <i>sniper</i>.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jackson tells the man about his own Army service during the Vietnam War, when Jackson met sniper school graduates and saw how effective they were at designing and planning missions in intricate detail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> \u201cYou\u2019re a project manager,\u201d he tells the sniper. \u201cYou know the mission and lay it out in every detail needed to succeed.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jackson got the man a project manager position at a federal agency. And the government got itself an efficient worker even as it repaid its debt to the sniper for risking his life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cHe was going to count himself out,\u201d Jackson told me. \u201cSometimes vets need an extra layer of help. You have to help them look at life through a different lens. We owe them that.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Donald Trump\u2019s clown car of cost-cutters eliminated Jackson\u2019s job a few weeks ago, without even taking<b> </b>a peek at how important his work was or how good he was at it. His whole section was just declared \u201cnot mission-critical.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Offered the choice of resigning or being reassigned to some random location and job, he retired. \u201cI have a personal philosophy,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI don\u2019t go backward.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He\u2019s 76. He figures he\u2019ll take a week or two off, then find a new gig. He\u2019s been working since he was 15 and sees no reason to stop now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Here are some facts about Ed Jackson that Elon Musk and his \u201cefficiency\u201d experts didn\u2019t bother to learn:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He kept a catalogue of job connections and sources across the country that he used to match veterans with open positions all around the government. Now, no one has those connections.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>After his Army service, Jackson ran a Maryland program that trained disabled veterans for government jobs. Then, in a previous Republican effort to roll back government during the Reagan administration, \u201cI lost my job, so I took a page from the Republican playbook and started my own business,\u201d he said. Jackson created a van pool business, hiring only veterans to drive people where they needed to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Drawn back to public service, he took jobs with the Baltimore mayor\u2019s office, the Red Cross, and Catholic Charities. He ran a boot camp for ex-offenders preparing to reenter the world of work, arranging employment for more than 700 people coming out of prison.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He ran a 200-bed facility for former prisoners. \u201cThese men were lost,\u201d he told me. \u201cThey were not who they originally were.\u201d Jackson hired mental health therapists and revamped the program to focus on the men\u2019s addictions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He loved his work. \u201cI don\u2019t chase money, and I don\u2019t chase positions,\u201d he said. \u201cI chase work that helps people. My wife says I must have taken a vow of poverty. But how do you not help people who tell you they need help? I don\u2019t know how to do that.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jackson had vision problems \u2013 macular degeneration in one eye. But then about two decades ago, he woke one morning and was totally blind. He\u2019d had a stroke in the other eye. He signed up for a 10-month rehab program where he learned to read Braille and walk with a cane.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Reemerging into the work world, he started over as an intern at Social Security headquarters in Woodlawn in Baltimore County. Internships turned into a full-time job \u2013 a position he basically created, finding veterans to work at Social Security. Laser surgery and acupuncture restored his sight enough that he could again read printed matter, and over the past 18 years, Jackson built up a staff of people who recruited, retrained, and helped to retain hundreds of vets who\u2019d had trouble reentering the workforce \u2013 to the point that vets made up 20 percent of Social Security\u2019s employees.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Then came Musk and his band of tech-utopianist, ax-wielding job-killers. Jackson and the team he\u2019d helped put together were out. The work they did came to a crashing halt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cI\u2019ve always prided myself on making decisions based on facts and truth,\u201d he said. \u201cBoth of those seem to be missing from the administration\u2019s actions. I resent that they try to justify this as fighting fraud and abuse. They did no assessment of what works. They didn\u2019t come to the people in the agencies to find out what made the most sense to cut. They\u2019ve damaged agencies so badly that now they can say it\u2019s not working. Maybe that\u2019s what they wanted all along.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Ed Jackson is at home in Reisterstown these days, but he\u2019s confident he\u2019ll be working soon, helping people again, as he has for decades. He\u2019s typical of thousands of public employees: you can cancel their programs, shutter their offices, cut off their pay, but you can\u2019t sideline them. They are the helpers. As Jackson said, \u201cI still have gas in the tank.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Judy_Rasmussen_Recognized!"></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h2 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.2pt;margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Coffee_with_an"></a><a name=JohnBerggren></a>Coffee with an NFB Staff Member: John Berggren<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:19.2pt;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>[Editor\u2019s Note: NFBMD is a proud state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. In Maryland, we\u2019re particularly fortunate to be the home affiliate of our national organization\u2019s headquarters, as well as the affiliate where many staff members of our headquarters hold membership. Our national staff work hard to offer national programming and implement operations for the NFB, and like all our sister affiliates, we benefit from that work. But in Maryland, we share a unique relationship with the NFB national center due to our proximity and because the staff of the NFB are often among the affiliate\u2019s volunteers. We will spotlight a different member of the staff in each edition of this magazine, and so we bring you: Coffee with John Berggren, Executive Director for Operations. John also serves as the Chair of the NFB of the Maryland Web and Technology Committee, and he is a very active member of the NFBMD Greater Baltimore Chapter.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your role on the NFB staff? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: I am the Executive Director for Operations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: How long have you worked for NFB? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: I\u2019ve been working at the Jernigan Institute for more than twenty-five years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: Tell us about your educational and/or work background. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I earned a couple of degrees in industrial engineering. A twisty career path brought me from manufacturing to the nonprofit world, and eventually to the National Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: Tell us about your family to the extent you are comfortable sharing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: I\u2019m a proud dad of a recent high school graduate who is currently attending Baltimore City Community College.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite beverage? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: I\u2019m notorious for my Diet Pepsi habit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite food? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Few foods make me as happy as a crunchy apple.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite vacation destination? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: I am happiest in the mountains exploring the outdoors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite quote? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: \u201cDarkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.\u201d \u2013 Martin Luther King Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite way to spend free time? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Hiking in the woods with my dog or reading an interesting book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What motivates you? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Important work still to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: If you could pick which actor played you in the movie about your life, who would it be? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: George Clooney.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your favorite part about your job? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Learning how the national convention made a difference in a member\u2019s life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is your least favorite part about your job? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Public speaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: What is one really memorable experience you\u2019ve had during your time with NFB? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Setting a Guinness World Record for the largest umbrella mosaic with 2,480 fellow Federationists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Q: If you could give the membership one piece of advice, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>A: Participate. Be involved. Taking ownership of even the smallest task makes a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span></b><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Ruth_Sager:_Modeling"></a><a name="_Chapter_Spotlight:_National"></a><a name="_Chapter_Spotlight:_NFBMD"></a><a name=ChapterSpotlight></a>Chapter Spotlight: Western Maryland Chapter</span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>By Ronza Othman<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>[Editor\u2019s Note: The Maryland affiliate has a rich and varied history that is not widely known. As we move forward with our membership initiative, we will continue highlighting a particular chapter or division in each edition of this publication. After all, members are the lifeblood of our organization, and chapters and divisions help build the foundation for membership. Since the Spring 2019 issue, we have been spotlighting a Maryland chapter or division in each issue to share how that chapter or division originated, what makes it unique, and other interesting information about it. We are highlighting the Western Maryland Chapter in this edition.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Western Maryland Chapter was first established in 1969 under the name \u201cAssociated Blind of Greater Cumberland Chapter.\u201d In the 1970s, the name was simplified to the Greater Cumberland Chapter. The chapter\u2019s name was changed to the Western Maryland Chapter in 2022. Initially, the chapter served members who lived primarily in Allegany County in Cumberland and nearby towns. However, in the 2010s, it began attracting more members from Hagerstown. When the chapter rebranded in 2022, it sought to attract members from the western part of the state up to the western edge of the Greater Carroll County Chapter, which serves Carroll County and Frederick County.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Over the years, many members from the Western Maryland Chapter have been employees at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). BISM had a plant in Cumberland for many years until 2023. As you might expect, many of the chapter presidents were also BISM employees. Some of the presidents from the Western Maryland Chapter included the late Albert Gregory, Jearl Konrad, Ron Burns, Jason Adkins, Jean Faulkner, Chris Myers, and Wendy Ruth. The longest serving president of the Western Maryland Chapter was Jean Faulkner, who retired from BISM after working there for 43 years. Jean passed away in 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>One of the proudest achievements of the Western Maryland Chapter was convincing Allegany County government to host a Randolph-Sheppard business enterprise location in their courthouse. Jearl Konrad operated this location for many years. Later, the late Don Glover took over and operated this location along with other vending facilities. Unfortunately, this facility closed, but the chapter hopes to get other opportunities for the business enterprise program in Western Maryland in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Two founding members of the Greater Cumberland Chapter worthy of note are the late Georgia and Floyd Myers. They became involved in the chapter because their daughter was blind. They performed many tasks, from driving to serving as chapter treasurer. Georgia was well known for leading an effort over many years wherein the chapter sold United States flag pins. Georgia also strived to make sure that the blind of Western Maryland were not forgotten by service providers. She was a member of the BISM Board of Trustees for many years. In 1987, Georgia was the first person to receive the NFB of Maryland Kenneth Jernigan Award for her contributions to the blind of Maryland. The Kenneth Jernigan Award is the highest honor awarded to a member of the NFB of Maryland. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jean Faulkner received the Kenneth Jernigan Award in 2018 for her many years of leadership in the chapter and affiliate. This was particularly challenging given that the chapter is located in such a rural area. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In 2005, the Gormley family moved to Frostburg and became active in the chapter. Patrick Gormley is a renowned trumpet player who plays with the Allegany County Symphony and many other orchestras. He has served as secretary and vice president of the chapter. His late wife, Tina, who died in 2015, was an avid fundraiser, cook, and singer. She also made invaluable contributions to the chapter. Their daughter, Andrea, also participated in state conventions and chapter activities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Following Jean\u2019s passing, Chris Myers became president of the chapter. He spearheaded a revitalization effort and worked to recruit new members. One of those members was Wendy Ruth, who currently serves as president of the Western Maryland Chapter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Western Maryland Chapter is growing rapidly. Most of the current members have only recently found and joined the Federation. Many of them continue to work for BISM, both to support seniors and to provide adjustment to blindness training to blind prison inmates. Notable active members include Cindy Holden, Melissa Stott, and Robert Morgan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Western Maryland Chapter is a proud chapter of the NFB of Maryland, and NFB of Maryland is proud to count it among our oldest and most resilient chapters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_2021_Convention_Awards"></a><a name="_2024_Distinguished_Service"></a><a name=Tech></a>Making Tech Accessible \u2013 With Benefits for All<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>By Karen Shih<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:19.2pt;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Published by <i>Maryland Today</i> on August 20, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:19.2pt;mso-para-margin-bottom:1.6gd'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Available at: </span></span><a href="https://today.umd.edu/how-umd-is-making-tech-accessible-with-benefits-for-all"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>https://today.umd.edu/how-umd-is-making-tech-accessible-with-benefits-for-all</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Jonathan Lazar is a professor at the University of Maryland and has been a long-time blind ally. He was the first recipient of the Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award in 2019 due to his leadership and innovation in advancing accessibility. <i>Maryland Today</i>, the University of Maryland\u2019s newspaper, highlighted how many projects at the college will continue to advance and enhance accessibility and inclusion for the blind due to the work of Jonathan and his colleagues. Below is a reprint of that article.]<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Yasmin Reyazuddin \u201998 wants to be able to go out for a quick lunch like anyone else. But when nobody\u2019s at the cash register, she\u2019s forced to ask someone to read her the menu on the restaurant\u2019s inaccessible self-service kiosk one by one, then help her order. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult,\u201d said Reyazuddin, who is blind. \u201cIf I can do it by myself, I want to do that.\u201d <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Beyond bakeries and coffee shops, everything from Social Security Administration offices to seatback entertainment on flights now feature touchscreens. But thanks to the efforts of University of Maryland researchers with a tech solution, her days of frustration could soon be in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>It\u2019s just one of the ways the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA), led by Executive Director and Professor Jonathan Lazar of the College of Information and funded by the UMD Grand Challenges Grants Program, has brought together scientists across campus to transform existing and emerging tech for people with disabilities. More than 20% of the U.S. population is excluded from education, employment, and health care due to inaccessible digital technologies and content, according to MIDA. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>UMD researchers have made at-home COVID nose swab tests less complex, developed tools to flag seizure-inducing photosensitive content and created technology to add captions to videos. Their ultimate goal is design that is \u201cborn accessible,\u201d so apps, user interfaces, and websites don\u2019t have to be fixed after they\u2019re released. \u201cMany of these accessibility-related features can help you, whether or not you have a disability,\u201d Lazar said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Here are four ways UMD researchers are transforming the technology landscape for everyone: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Creating Better Kiosks <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The robot revolution might not be here yet \u2013 but screens are definitely taking over as labor costs rise and consumers get used to tap-tapping away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The proliferation of kiosks comes at a cost, said Associate Research Engineer J. Bern Jordan. Earlier tools, like accessible keyboards, to help people with visual impairment navigate touchscreens for banking or transportation no longer always work as the types of interfaces proliferate, ranging from small tablets to huge vertical TVs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Now, Jordan is testing ways to incorporate functions that people are familiar with on smartphones into these devices, part of a five-year, $4.6 million grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal is a mode that\u2019s easily activated, possibly marked with a tactile symbol that would give self-service screen users the ability to double-tap to activate a button, flick right or left to scroll through options, and have text read out loud. He\u2019s currently prototyping options and getting user feedback from blind individuals and experts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>It's a promising start, said Reyazuddin, who tested a version at a National Federation for the Blind convention in early 2025. Eventually, these tools could also help people who speak English as a second language, who have learning disabilities, or who have limited mobility access menu options more easily, Jordan said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>That\u2019s important because \u201cdisability is a minority anyone can join any day,\u201d said Reyazuddin. \u201cWe need to make the world accessible for everyone.\u201d <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Accessible PDFs From Scratch <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>From legal contracts to health forms, it\u2019s impossible to escape PDFs in our professional and private lives. But unlike other types of documents, they can be difficult to search and navigate \u2013 and the challenge is even greater for people who use screen readers or other assistive tech. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Lazar\u2019s graduate students have for years worked with Adobe, which has an office in UMD\u2019s Discovery District, on the best ways to remediate and repair these documents. Now, second-year doctoral student Abhinav Kannan is taking a new approach: building accessibility into documents from the moment they\u2019re exported.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>\u201cAn enormous chunk of the web is inaccessible,\u201d said Kannan. \u201cThere are trillions of PDF documents and millions being generated daily\u2026We need to stop the bleeding.\u201d <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He\u2019s developing easy prompts and tools which may be incorporated into Adobe products to make sure PDFs have proper headings and tagged lists, sufficient color contrast, coherent alternate text for images and more from the beginning, with the goal of automating these elements in the future. Fully accessible documents will be a boon to everyone; they can be easily scanned and summarized by AI, helping people better understand long, complicated text and easily find images or terms, and can be picked up by web searches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Leveraging AI for Safety <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Self-driving cars, which have already hit the road in cities from Austin, Texas, to San Francisco, might seem like the inevitable next step in personal transportation. But safety remains a major concern, including how autonomous vehicles can navigate around pedestrians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Associate Professor Hernisa Kacorri is collaborating with Assistant Professor Eshed Ohn-Bar at Boston University to collect data on how blind people walk, since they may move differently than current machine learning models anticipate. \u201cBlind pedestrians can have unique patterns,\u201d she said, as they use canes or guide dogs and stop and start in unexpected ways. (At the Tokyo Paralympics, for example, one of Toyota\u2019s autonomous vehicles collided with a blind athlete, causing minor injuries.) The dataset is called BlindWays. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Kacorri, whose work is also part of the NIDILRR grant, said this type of data collection could be useful for other populations, like older adults and children, who may move in unpredictable ways for models trained on younger adults. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Teaching and Personalizing AI <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Drop your favorite pen, and for most people, all it might take is a quick visual scan before you grab it from across the carpet. For people who are blind, a new tool could mimic that action. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Last year, Microsoft added the \u201cFind My Things\u201d function to its Seeing AI app, building on work that Kacorri and collaborators had done with blind users and teachable object recognizers. \u201cAs academics, we can\u2019t always build the products,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is for the industry to adopt the solutions we generate.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>While the app is designed for everyday tasks, like reading labels at a grocery store or counting currency, the new function gives users the ability to identify and find important personal objects. They can train the app, using the phone camera, to remember items like keys, backpacks, or canes with just a quick snap of a room, then lead the user toward the object with beeps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>AI, including generative AI, is full of possibilities for the disability community, Kacorri said. \u201cIt has the potential to eliminate a lot of gaps\u2026but we have to have a foot on the ground and look out for new barriers being created.\u201d <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Marie_Marucci:_A"></a><a name=RachelOlivero></a>2025 Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>By Ronza Othman<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>[Editor\u2019s Note: In 2019, NFBMD established the Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award in honor of a leader in the affiliate who sadly passed away that year. Rachel Olivero modeled creativity, innovation, and tenacity in technology access. This award is given periodically to individuals who made significant contributions to technology accessibility. President Ronza Othman gave the following presentation at the 2025 Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland banquet in February.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Ronza Othman:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>One vital person who is indelibly part of the fabric that comprises the rich history of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland was Rachel Olivero. Rachel changed the landscape of how we do what we do through her innovative spirit. For Rachel, no job was too big, and no ask was unreasonable. For Rachel, even the mundane and monotonous work was a challenge because she came up with innovative ways to do it better, faster, more easily.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Rachel joined the Maryland affiliate in 2007 after having grown up in the Wisconsin affiliate and then moving to the Indiana affiliate. She moved to Maryland when she joined the Access Technology Team at the National Center. Though she left for Nebraska for a few years, she continued to support Maryland even during that time. She returned home to us in 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Sadly, we lost Rachel very unexpectedly in 2019 to complications from pneumonia. She was 36. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Her legacy lives on in Maryland though, and she will indelibly be part of our story. She built our website and led the effort to modernize it. She built our Connections database, which has more than 9,000 unique contacts, and she led the effort to keep it operational. In fact, I think she was the only person who truly understood it. She built our convention registration platform. She built our Crab Feast, Spring Concert, and any other online registration system we have. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>She often went along with Sharon, Melissa, or me to IEPs so she could tell the school districts what the best technology was for that particular student\u2019s needs. She worked with employers and members to figure out what software worked with what other software so that our members could work independently. And if there wasn\u2019t a solution out there for a particular challenge, she built one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>She also worked to find solutions for deafblind members to engage with the hearing public on terms of equality. She also spent considerable time on emergency management and preparedness, focusing on physical accessibility and equal access to information.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Rachel\u2019s life mission was to advance accessibility. She poured her heart and soul into doing this, and she was very successful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Rachel was particularly notable for her huge backpack. You could count on her to have a number of radios (she was an emergency preparedness guru and a ham radio operator). And if you ever needed anything fixed, tightened, loosened, cut, or broken, Rachel would whip out her handy multi-tool and take care of it for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In 2019, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland established the Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award. We give out this award only when we feel that someone has demonstrated the virtues that are reflective of Rachel\u2019s. This year is one such year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The recipient of the 2025 Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award is someone who has dedicated their career to ensuring</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> the blind experience a more accessible world. This person has used their considerable talents to educate about physical accessibility, and when the systems failed, this person built solutions, sometimes literally.</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>This individual:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Helped design the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and other aspects of our headquarters;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Transported members of the affiliate on personal time when public transportation and other resources were not available or accessible;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Taught others about the need for accessibility, including many of our affiliate convention hotel personnel over several decades;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On more than one occasion, built a ramp for a convention hotel;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Showed up to help members move from one home to another when they were living in inaccessible buildings, hauling heavy furniture up and down multiple flights of stairs;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Served as the Maryland affiliate\u2019s Audit Committee reader for several decades;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:106%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>And so much more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Sadly, this person passed away in October, so we will be giving this award posthumously. There is no one who more embodied the characteristics that the Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award celebrates. This person deserves to be honored for their outstanding work in this area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The recipient of the 2025 Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award is John Cheadle. We present the award tonight to his wife of many years, Barbara Cheadle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I\u2019ll read the inscription on the plaque:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Presented to John A. Cheadle<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>For your dedication to equal access, for your creativity in spreading knowledge to the blind, and for your leadership in eliminating accessibility barriers. You enhance the present, you build the future.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>February 15, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>And in Maryland tradition, the recipient of this award also receives, in addition to this plaque, a multi-tool, which was one of Rachel Olivero\u2019s favorite things. Please welcome Barbara Cheadle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Barbara Cheadle:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On behalf of John Cheadle. Thank you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>It's easy to think of a story to go with this because it was pivotal in John's early life, for how he perceived people with disabilities. And he was able to bridge that to all kinds of people, into all kinds of disabilities. He was from a family of eight children. He was the oldest son, the second oldest. And his very youngest in the family, a brother named Jim, was born with spina bifida. His brother was not expected to live, but he did because of the persistence and the passion of his family, his parents \u2013 and this was before IEPs. And before schools were mandated to provide education to those with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Among John\u2019s earliest memories were his brothers and sisters racing to run upstairs in public spaces. People in the public would be staring at him and his brothers and sisters because, as they would race up steps, Jim would come at his own pace. Alone, doing it himself. And it was often, when a stranger on the street would admonish John and his siblings: \u201cWhy aren't you helping your poor brother?\u201d Well, that's because their poor brother would beat him up if they tried. That story he told often. And he loved his brother passionately, and all of his siblings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>His brother did pass away early, but with a master's degree and a career teaching adults with mental disabilities. So, he lived far longer than the doctors had predicted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>And I guess I'll tell one more story since I've got the mic because I think it tells something about John. Or Mr. John, or Mr. Cheadle. John\u2019s first career was as an auto mechanic. He only graduated from high school because his father had enough eminence in the community, and the school wanted to get rid of John. He was a bit of a rebel and had not settled down to the academic life. So, for two or three years after high school, he was an auto mechanic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He decided, however, to go back to college and pursue an engineering degree. However, when he got to college, he discovered that he couldn't take the courses that he wanted \u2013 all the courses that he had skipped in high school: history, literature. So, he went and found out what courses he could take, what major he could take, that would give him the most electives, and then he would switch back later to engineering. The degree he sought then was in psychology because that gave him the most options to take classes he wanted, like Russian literature and many of the history courses that he had never managed to attend class to learn in high school.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>He never went back to engineering, but in the end, that's what he did in the National Federation of the Blind, because the leaders of this organization \u2013 Dr. Kenneth Jernigan and Dr. Maurer \u2013 saw talent where talent existed, and not where degrees existed. And so it was that he became a self-taught engineer and put those talents to use at the National Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Thank you for this award and thank you for recognizing the talent, the passion, the integrity, and the love that he gave you for all these years. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name=HeatherGuy></a>Heather Guy: Substantial Growth, Tremendous Leader!<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>By Sharon Maneki<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Heather Guy is a vital member of the NFBMD in numerous ways. Heather serves as the president of the Eastern Shore Chapter and one of the leaders of the NFB BELL Academy in Salisbury each year. She also serves on the NFBMD Scholarship Committee. The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland honored Heather with our highest award, the Kenneth Jernigan Award, at the NFBMD state convention on February 15, 2025. Below is what Sharon Maneki, a member of the NFBMD Kenneth Jernigan Award Committee, shared with the convention in presenting the award to Heather.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>How do you get this award? Well, you have to be an extraordinary member. How do you become an extraordinary member? \u201cGet stuff done.\u201d The person who is an extraordinary member has commitment to the Federation and the ability to grow, to keep the journey going. So, would Heather Guy come on up?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I want to tell people a little bit about how Heather has grown over the years. Heather lost some of her hearing early in life, when she was four years old. And then she began to lose her vision when she was a teenager.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Heather has been involved with the NFB BELL Academy on the Eastern Shore. She wasn't at the first one, but she sent her son to the NFB BELL Academy. And then she realized what her son could achieve, and she knew that she had to achieve it too. So, Heather has not missed an NFB BELL program since, and in July 2025, BISM and the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will be conducting our tenth year of NFB BELL Academies on the Eastern Shore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Heather received training at BISM, and she went on to grow and to help other people. Heather grew in the skills of blindness. Every day, she teaches the skills of blindness to seniors and her colleagues, the associates on the plant floor in Salisbury. She was recently recognized by National Industries for the Blind because she spends time teaching people how to sew in both Baltimore and Raleigh, North Carolina.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>As you know, Heather is the president of the Eastern Shore Chapter. Her commitment and leadership enable her to be a president in good times and to hang in with the chapter through tough times, so, Heather, congratulations on receiving the 2025 National Federation of the Blind of Maryland Kenneth Jernigan Award.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The plaque reads:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, Kenneth Jernigan Award<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Presented to Heather Guy<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In appreciation for your many years of outstanding service. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Whenever we have asked, you have answered. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We call you our colleague with respect. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We call you our friend with love.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>February 15, 2025</span></i></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Hlk215663497"></a><a name="_2024_Convention_Awards"></a><a name=Awards></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>2025 Convention Awards</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>By Ronza Othman<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Each year, NFBMD grants a number of awards to various individuals who promote and advance the civil rights of blind people. Some of those awards recognize Federationists who have worked diligently to gain independence, and other awards recognize our partners and supporters. Below is a summary of the awards that were given at the 2025 NFBMD Annual Convention in February.] <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>Several awards were presented at the 2025 Convention of the NFBMD: </span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>Megan Middlebrook received the <b>Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award </b>at our convention banquet. Megan is a Teacher of Blind Students for Howard County. Prior to that, Megan was a Teacher of Blind Students for the Early Childhood Program at the Maryland School for the Blind. Megan was nominated for this award by Isaiah and Jonah Rao.</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>We presented the <b>Jennifer Baker Award</b> during the NFBMD banquet. Jennifer Baker learned to read and write Braille despite her multiple disabilities. With this award, we recognize other students who have overcome their struggles to learn to read and write Braille and gain confidence in the skills of blindness. Tre\u2019Shawn Smith received this prestigious award. Tre\u2019Shawn, in addition to blindness, has other disabilities</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>. Tre\u2019Shawn participated in the NFB BELL Academy on the Eastern Shore for many years.</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>Matt Yannuzzi, president of the Central Maryland Chapter, received the <b>Anna Cable Award</b>. The award is given in honor of Anna Cable, who lost her vision later in life. Anna lived to be 108 years old, learned to travel independently, and learned to read and write Braille. Matt Yannuzzi received this award because of his tremendous enthusiasm for life and persistence in not only gaining the blindness skills to live the life he wants but also making sure that others in Maryland gain the skills of independence and a positive attitude towards blindness. Matt is a great example of Anna\u2019s spirit because of his determination to live independently and participate in all aspects of community life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>President Ronza Othman presented the <b>Rachel Olivero Accessibility Innovation Award</b> to John Cheadle. You can read more about this award elsewhere in this issue.</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>NFBMD awarded the <b>Kenneth Jernigan Award</b>, our highest honor, to Heather Guy. You can read more about this award elsewhere in this issue.</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'>Start thinking about who should receive these awards at the 2026 state convention, to be held February 12 - 15, 2026!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'><i><o:p> </o:p></i></span></span></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215663497'></span><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span></i><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Hlk174916062"></a><a name="_Profile_of_an"></a><a name="_The_Librarian_Who"></a><a name=MaryEllen></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'>Musings of Mary Ellen Thompson About Kenneth Jernigan</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Mary Ellen Thompson passed away on March 5, 2025. We are fortunate to remember her by having some of her writings. The article below shows how devoted she was to Dr. Jernigan and the National Federation of the Blind. She had friends around the country who experienced her hospitality and care when they visited the National Center, and friends that she made during her travels. She had that knack of knowing how to talk to people when they were in need. Mary Ellen was also a very active member of the NFB of Maryland, including serving as a driver, reader, NFB BELL Academy volunteer, childcare volunteer, and general jack of all trades.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Dr. Maurer owned and operated a law firm in downtown Baltimore. In September of 1981, I went to work for the Maurer Law Firm. My life was transformed into one that I could never have imagined it would be. Some of the work that we did in the law firm was on behalf of the NFB. It was on one of these early occasions that Dr. Maurer introduced me to Dr. Jernigan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>In the years since then, I learned from Dr. Jernigan. I learned to be patient because he was patient with me. I learned to listen as we talked for hours, and in some of the most important talks, he didn\u2019t talk at all. He sat and listened to me. He was a busy and important person, yet he had time to talk to me whenever I went to him. This did quite a bit to boost my morale and make me feel like a part of the whole. I felt I could talk to Dr. Jernigan on any subject, and he was interested and knowledgeable. I have no other friends like him. Through him, I came to know about my most important family \u2013 my Federation Family. Just like Dr. Jernigan, our family cares, shares, endures, and loves endlessly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Maurer Law Firm was a busy place. We worked late into the night every night to meet deadlines set by judges and clients. I had never known what it was like to work like that. Dr. Maurer and I worked very hard, but we also had fun and enjoyed ourselves. Those were the early days when I was just coming to know Dr. Jernigan. One autumn morning, the delivery man came to the law firm with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The envelope read \u201cMrs. Thompson.\u201d The card read \u201cDr. Jernigan.\u201d<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>About two months after I started working at the law firm, I had major surgery. Again, the delivery man came. This time, he brought the biggest basket of fruit I\u2019d ever seen. I had never received such a gift, and of course, the card read \u201cDr. Jernigan.\u201d After that surgery, a few months passed when surgery became necessary again. Dr. Jernigan was upset that I should have to do this after having a similar surgery recently. He asked me if the surgery could be done under a light dose of anesthetic. He seemed hurt and worried. Everything went well. I believe that the positive outcome of that surgical procedure was due in large portion to the comfort I felt in Dr. Jernigan\u2019s kind and true expression of comfort. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>There is no doubt in my mind that I gained much from having Dr. Jernigan as my friend. He taught me that I am important. He taught me how to care. He taught me how to listen and be patient. He said the woes that people experience because they are in debt are because people are not patient enough to wait for what they want. I think about that often. It saves me money every time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Dr. Jernigan was fun. Once we were discussing hairstyles, and I mentioned that I have short hair. He said that his hair was long. I said it didn\u2019t look long to me. With that, he took his hair and pulled it down over his face, and it went clear past his chin. It was always neatly parted and combed whenever I saw him, so I didn\u2019t give it a thought. I conceded the discussion. On another occasion, he was explaining to me how he dealt with an individual (sighted) who was giving him a hard way to go. Dr. Jernigan said, \u201cI just gave him a very stern look.\u201d I asked him what that meant. He set his teeth together so that his jaw was tight, his lips were pressed together, and he did seem like he meant business, and no doubt the one with whom he dealt understood immediately what he was being told by Dr. Jernigan. He invited me over to his house to do a job. The job was to peel and cut quince. I had never met a quince before, but I spent the rest of the day at the task, and I am proud to say that I know what quince is. He taught me to respect myself when I was lifting and putting away the tables he stored in his garage. He said, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to do that. Let these men do it.\u201d There were other staff members and friends around to do the job, so I stepped aside and did it. As a single person, I do everything I need to do without help. It was Dr. Jernigan\u2019s saying that I should let someone else help that helped me understand that he was concerned for my welfare, and that I should be, too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I am a sighted staff member of the National Federation of the Blind. Dr. Jernigan told me that I am blind. Others who are sighted would have taken this statement the wrong way, but I know that this is an honor. It means that I understand and believe what we in the Federation say and do about blindness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Dr. Jernigan was a sharing and generous person. On many a summer\u2019s evening, I would get a phone call. \u201cMrs. Thompson, can you come and eat steak?\u201d The steaks were good and hot off the grill and filled with the warmth of friendship that presided at his table. At those dinners, I learned about the Federation and the man who was our Chief. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span></b><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk174916062'></span><h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Goodnight_Irene"></a><a name=MillieRivera></a>Student Spotlight: Millie Rivera</span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>[Editor\u2019s Note: Millie Rivera is a prominent member of the Federation. She serves as president of the NFBMD Towson, Lutherville, Cockeysville (TLC) Chapter, a member of the NFB of Maryland Board of Directors, and chair of the NFBMD Crab Feast Committee. Millie was one of the 2025 National Federation of the Blind National Scholarship recipients, received the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship, which is the highest national scholarship, and was selected by the scholarship class to address the national convention. Millie is an attorney, having retired from a long and successful career at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Millie returned to school as a nontraditional student to earn a master\u2019s degree in theology and counseling from Moody Theological Seminary. Below is Millie\u2019s scholarship application essay, which will introduce Millie in her own words.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>It was a beautiful summer day. \u201cOh, I want to be a missionary just like you when I grow up!\u201d eight-year-old Millie told the young missionary that was sharing how much Jesus loved her. \u201cBut you can\u2019t be, you\u2019re blind,\u201d she calmly and frankly explained. Little Millie just stood gaping. If I can\u2019t do that, then I don\u2019t know what I should do because that is the best job to have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>Missionaries don\u2019t lie so it must be true. How could little Millie know that the missionary was mistaken and that there were people, even then, fighting so that she could live the life she wanted?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>50 years later, after a 30-year career in law helping those who faced discrimination in employment, I have gone back to hold the hand of little Millie to let her know that there is still time to become a missionary. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>After retiring, I enrolled at Moody Theological Seminary to take hermeneutics \u2013 the study of how to study the Bible. It was a very difficult class, but I earned an A in that and a second course. I proved to myself that I can excel at biblical studies at a top-rated seminary. It is my dream to apply biblical knowledge to help women who suffer with mental illnesses. I have had my own powerful over 30-year journey with bipolar disorder and with the help of caring doctors and therapists, as well as the Lord, I was able to succeed and have a rewarding career. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>I have been legally blind since birth and had a typical experience of a child unfamiliar with the NFB philosophy. However, in 1986, while attending Cornell as an undergrad, I met a Federationist who told me about the NFB scholarship program. I was rejected on my first try, but in 1988, to my amazement, I was selected as the Dr. Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship winner. I was honored to address the banquet, sharing with them that I had found freedom and a home to belong. I used the $10,000 to complete my law degree. I attended LCB for six months and graduated with a love for the long white cane. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>Since then, I have been an active member of the NFB and was active in the California, Pennsylvania, and Maryland affiliates. I was also awarded the Kenneth Jernigan Award by the Maryland affiliate in 2004. I was a board member in the National Association of Blind Lawyers for over a decade, have served as a board member in the NFB of MD for about that long, served as scholarship chair for a total of almost ten years, helped lead the youth program at the Maryland state convention for ten years, and for at least two decades, have served as a team leader for the NFBMD Day in Annapolis. I have recently stepped up to lead the TLC Chapter as its president. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>Besides these NFB activities, I am an active member of my church serving as a Spanish translator for the Mercy Center, which provides services to pregnant women and their babies. Weekly, I babysit for my little great nieces. Also, I am a leader in both my community association and the Celebrate Recovery Ministry at a local church. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>My philosophy of blindness has evolved over the years. Prior to the NFB, I felt I was special; then I became Militant Millie and now I recognize that the freedom I fight for may look different to others. I accept a sighted guide at times with no less pride than going it alone. Where I may have unabashedly barked at someone offering me assistance to cross a simple intersection in the early days of my independence, today I might strike up a friendly conversation and explain the techniques that are second nature. After all, one of my brothers or sisters in the movement may need assistance with this simple task and encounter this same good Samaritan tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>I am pursuing an MA in biblical counseling and will strive to help people of faith who struggle with mental illness, both within and outside the blindness community. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>I respectfully ask that you continue to invest in \u201clittle Millie\u201d as an NFB Scholar and help me assist others to live the lives they want. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span></b><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><h2 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_2024_NFBMD_Resolutions"></a><a name=Resolutions></a>2025 NFBMD Resolutions</span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoBodyText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'>[Editor\u2019s Note: The convention is the supreme authority of this organization, and perhaps its most important function is to set the policy of the Federation. Below are the three resolutions that the Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland adopted on February 16, 2025. NFBMD is actively working on these matters.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoTitle style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Resolution 2025-01 <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Regarding the Provision of Medical Facility Discharge Instructions to Blind and Low-Vision Patients in an Accessible Format of Their Choice<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, patients being discharged from a hospital, emergency room, urgent-care center, or outpatient surgery facility receive discharge instructions detailing the aftercare regimen the patient should follow at home; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, following these aftercare instructions is crucial to the patient\u2019s continuing recovery, and carefully following them is often essential to prevent rehospitalization or other adverse consequences; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, these discharge instructions are generally provided to the patient in print only and do not appear in patient portals such as MyChart, and therefore are not accessible to blind and low-vision patients; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, blind and low-vision patients often do not have access to someone to read them the print discharge instructions at home, nor do all of them have access to technology that will do so, and even if they did, blind patients have the same right to privacy about their medical care as sighted individuals; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the process for creating accessible documents is well known and readily achievable; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the State of Maryland has enacted many laws calling for accessibility, such as the Patient Bill of Rights, which went into effect on October 1, 2019; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the Maryland Patient Bill of Rights specifies that patients have the right to \u201c<span style='color:black'>receive information that is understandable by the patient which may include\u2026alternative formats, including large print, Braille, audio recordings, and computer files\u2026as needed, without charge.\u201d </span>Now, therefore,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in convention assembled this sixteenth day of February 2025, in Ocean City, Maryland, that this organization demand that all hospitals and similar healthcare facilities, including emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and outpatient surgery facilities in Maryland immediately provide accessible discharge instructions and other relevant information to their blind and low-vision patients; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> that this organization urge these entities to place their patient discharge instructions in their patient portals in an accessible format as they already do with post-visit notes, laboratory results, and other information; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> that this organization call upon the Maryland Department of Health and/or other relevant state entities to issue regulations that will guarantee the safety and well-being of blind and low-vision patients when being discharged from care; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> that this organization strongly encourage these entities to work with the National Federation of the Blind\u2019s Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access to Education, Public Information, and Commerce (CENA) to learn about accessible document preparation and other solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Resolution 2025-02<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Opposing the Proposed $0.75 Surcharge on Retail Deliveries<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><strong>WHEREAS</strong>, the state of Maryland is considering the implementation of a $0.75 surcharge on retail deliveries to fund transportation projects, including the improvement of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, as well as proposed upgrades and enhancements to mass transit; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><strong>WHEREAS</strong>, this surcharge would apply to deliveries of essential goods, including groceries, clothing, prescriptions, and other necessities; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><strong>WHEREAS</strong>, blind individuals and others with disabilities disproportionately rely on delivery services to access these essential goods, in part due to challenges related to transportation and mobility; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b>WHEREAS</b>, far too many blind Marylanders are unemployed or underemployed, again in part due to transportation challenges, and thus, their incomes are limited; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b>WHEREAS</b>, the burden of supporting transportation infrastructure projects should not be disproportionately borne by those who can least afford it and who benefit least from transportation projects other than mass transit. Now, therefore,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><strong>BE IT RESOLVED</strong> by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in convention assembled this sixteenth day of February 2025, in Ocean City, Maryland, that this organization demand that Maryland Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly abandon the proposed $0.75 surcharge on retail deliveries; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><strong>BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED</strong> that we urge the Governor and state lawmakers to consider options to fund transportation that will not disproportionately affect blind individuals and others with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Resolution 2025-03<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><h3><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>Calling Upon Maryland\u2019s Congressional Delegation to Protect Blind Federal Workers from Efforts to Undermine Their Rights<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h3><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the federal workforce, one of the largest contingents of Maryland workers, includes many blind individuals who serve the public in various capacities, contributing their skills and talents to the efficient operation of government agencies; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, federal workers, including the blind and others with disabilities, rely on long-standing legal protections such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure equal access, reasonable accommodations, and protection from discrimination in the workplace; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the second administration of President Donald J. Trump has taken actions to weaken the rights of federal workers, including efforts to erode collective bargaining, due process, and workplace protections, thereby threatening the job security and fair treatment of blind federal employees in Maryland and across the nation; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, President Trump has specifically disparaged the contributions and capabilities of federal workers with disabilities in a nationally televised press conference, suggesting that disability recruiting policies of the Federal Aviation Administration led directly to the deadly collision of a commercial airliner and a military helicopter on January 29, 2025; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the administration\u2019s efforts to undermine worker rights and President Trump\u2019s comments about workers with disabilities risk reversing decades of progress in workplace accessibility, accommodations, and employment protections for blind federal workers, making it harder for them to fully participate in and contribute to the workforce; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland is aware of at least half a dozen blind federal employees who have been adversely affected by administration actions so far, and the number is likely far higher; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS, </span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>the unemployment rate among the blind is still extremely high, and unfair treatment by the Trump administration threatens to make it higher; and<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>WHEREAS, </span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>the laws protecting Americans with disabilities have generally been supported by politicians of both parties, and therefore, lawmakers should act in a bipartisan fashion to protect and uphold the rights of blind workers. Now, therefore,<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in convention assembled this sixteenth day of February 2025, in Ocean City, Maryland, that this organization call upon the members of Maryland\u2019s congressional delegation to take immediate and decisive action to protect blind federal workers by:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><ol start=1 type=1><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Opposing any effort to roll back disability rights protections under the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other relevant laws that ensure fair treatment in federal employment;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Defending collective bargaining rights and due process protections for all federal workers, including those with disabilities;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Opposing any effort to terminate any individuals serving their two-year trial period who were hired using the Schedule A hiring authority for individuals with disabilities due to the two-year trial period\u2019s disparate impact on employees with disabilities;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Supporting oversight and accountability measures to prevent any further administrative or regulatory actions that would weaken workplace protections for blind federal employees; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Advocating for policies that promote accessibility, inclusion, and equitable opportunities for blind and other disabled federal workers; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></li></ol><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED</span></b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> that copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of Maryland\u2019s congressional delegation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><br clear=all style='page-break-before:always'></span><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Spectator_Specs"></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><h2><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><a name="_Hlk215667871"></a><a name=Specs></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'>Spectator Specs</span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Deaths:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Arthur Copper passed away in the Fall of 2024 after a long illness. Arthur was a long-time member of the NFBMD Eastern Shore Chapter. Arthur leaves behind his beloved wife, Frances (Muffin).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On January 14, 2025, Gregory Martin passed away unexpectedly. Gregory was an active member of the National Harbor Chapter and served on its Board of Directors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Michael Eugene Clark Jr. passed away unexpectedly at the age of 43 on January 28, 2025. Michael was a member of the National Harbor Chapter and a mentee of Michelle Clark (no relation).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Debbie Parker Jordan passed away unexpectedly on January 31, 2025. Debbie was a member of both the Baltimore County and Greater Baltimore Chapters. She was a student at the BISM SAIL Program.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Ray Branch passed away after a long illness on February 14, 2025. Ray was a long-time member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter, a driver on the NFBMD staff, and a long-time employee of the National Federation of the Blind. Many may remember his voice from his many years as the NFB Switchboard Operator.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On March 5, 2025, Mary Ellen Thompson passed away after a short illness. Mary Ellen was an active member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter, a long-time NFB BELL volunteer, a member of the NFBMD staff serving as a reader and driver, and a long-time staff member at the NFB prior to her retirement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On April 28, 2025, Page Trammell passed away after a short illness. Page served as the secretary of the Baltimore County Chapter and taught independent living skills to blind seniors at BISM. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>On May 26, 2025, Treva Olivero passed away after an illness at the age of 47. Treva served as our lead teacher at the Baltimore NFB BELL Academy for several years, most recently in 2019. Treva lived in Baltimore, was an active member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter, and worked on the NFB staff from 2007 to 2012 before moving to Louisiana. She attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind, obtained her master\u2019s in teaching from Louisiana Tech, and worked for the Lincoln Parish School System. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Please keep them and those who love them in your thoughts and prayers. They will all be deeply missed!<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Graduations:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Ronza Othman earned a graduate certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Cornell University in April 2025. Ronza pursued this post-graduate certificate to augment her previously earned degrees of a JD in law and MS in Government and Nonprofit Management with a concentration in healthcare. Ronza attended Cornell\u2019s accelerated graduate program while both working full-time and serving as the president of the NFB of Maryland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Noah White earned his BA from George Mason University in Global Affairs and Spanish. He hopes to get a job in his field.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Michelle Lindsay earned her GED from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. She is looking forward to the opportunities that this achievement will present to her. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sligo Creek Chapter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Cynthia Riccobono graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. After taking a gap year, Cynthia plans to attend the University of Northern Colorado. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Paul Wales graduated from the Maryland School for the Blind. He hopes to get a job and live the life he wants. Paul came from Ghana to the U.S. and attended many of the Glendale BELL programs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Congratulations and best wishes to all!<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Retirements<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Ed Jackson retired from his position as a Program Manager with the Social Security Administration in the Spring of 2025. You can read about Ed\u2019s work and contributions elsewhere in this publication.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk215667871'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk137899072'></span><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ronza Othman, </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>President</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>443-426-4110<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>